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Direct Energy and IGS Energy are the top performers in a new survey of Ohio consumer
satisfaction with unregulated electricity suppliers.

At the same time, unregulated utility-affiliated suppliers were at the bottom, according to the
J.D. Power and Associates report.

In Ohio’s deregulated electricity market, customers can choose who provides
electricity-generation service, which is a portion of the overall electricity bill.

Customers who don’t choose will automatically receive service from the utility, which is
American Electric Power in most of central Ohio.

As of March, 28 percent of AEP Ohio customers had switched to an unregulated supplier; the
percentage is based on electricity volume, not customer counts.

Direct Energy, based in Houston, received the top score from survey respondents, with 659 points
on a 1,000-point scale. IGS Energy, based in Dublin, was a point behind at 658.

“With the brands at the top, it’s not just one thing,” said Jeff Conklin, a senior director for
J.D. Power. By that, he meant the top companies did well in each category surveyed, including
questions about pricing, customer service and other topics.

The remaining five companies listed are all unregulated affiliates of utility companies, ranging
from Duke Energy-Retail with 617 points to AEP Energy with 593.

Ohio’s average score was 611, which was second-worst out of the nine states surveyed; New York
was lowest with 599.

While Ohio had a relatively low average, it had the second-largest improvement from last year.
Conklin said the improvement was almost completely due to companies improving their communication
with consumers.